Aston Martin One-77 Revealed (And We've Got High-Res Wallpapers!)

Aston Martin's range-capping exotic sportscar, the new One-77, has been revealed in final form.

What Aston calls its "definitive sports car" takes the general silhouette of the latest Aston sportscars, from the DB9 to the Vantage. Only this time, the core of the car is constructed not from aluminum, but from carbon fiber. The monocoque does have aluminum body panels fastened to it, for a lightweight body that's designed to catapult Aston back into new racing realms.

The handbuilt car, according to Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr. Ulrich Bez, fulfills a vision inside Aston, now on its own after being spun off by Ford. Alongside the newly revealed 2010 Aston Martin Rapide four-door, the One-77 will "demonstrate the unique capabilities and passion of our designers, engineers and technical partners," Bez said in a release.

The essentials beneath the svelte aluminum skin include a 7.3-liter, normally aspirated V-12 engine, mounted low in the chassis for exceptionally low center of gravity. The engine shares its roots with the 6.0-liter V-12 found in the Aston DBS, Aston DB9 and the new V-12 Vantage--only here, it's completely reworked by engine specialists Cosworth to churn out more than 700 bhp and weigh 25 percent less than the smaller-displacement version. A paddle-shifted six-speed sequential manual transmission is fitted.

A double-wishbone pushrod suspension arrives from the factory with each owner's specified settings, though 20-series tires are shod on all One-77 coupes. The settings can be changed without removing the shocks from the car, as is usual in racing, Aston says. Carbon-ceramic brakes haul the estimated 3,300-pound coupe down from extreme racing speeds.

Those speeds, Aston Martin estimates, include a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. Top speed should pass 200 mph, too.

Aston says these figures and exceptional engineering and construction will make the One-77 "a driving experience of unrivalled intensity and excitement while representing the world’s most desirable automotive art form."